


Pokemon: The Legend of Arceus

by Spectacular_Sunset



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Genre: Feudal Japan, Gen, Mongol invasion, OCs - Freeform, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Pokemon movie 12, Post-Breath of the Wild, Sinnoh Premakes, Sinnoh Remakes, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-20 20:48:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30010749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spectacular_Sunset/pseuds/Spectacular_Sunset
Summary: Dawn and Cynthia have lived a peaceful village life since their parents’ disappearance. But when Cynthia is taken in a Mongol raid, Dawn goes a perilous journey to assemble the Jewel of Life, rescue her sister, and save the world.My take on Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

‘Dawn, time to go to bed!’ Cynthia called as her sister ran around their hut like a hyperactive Tauros. _So much energy. Too bad she hates going outside ever since…_ She thought wistfully.

‘Tell me a story!’

‘Alright, but only if you come over here!’ The girl instantly rushed over to the straw pile that was their bed.

Cynthia took a deep breath. She was pretty sure this bedtime story was repeated a couple times in the past week, but Dawn didn’t seem to notice.

‘Once upon a time, in the land of old, there was nothing. Imagine a vast farmland, but with no grass, no crops, no trees… nothing but endless emptiness.’

Dawn looked at Cynthia with wondrous eyes, immersing herself into the fable. She allowed her mind to roam free, in a world of adventure, in a world where anything could happen.

‘Out of that, there sprang an egg, which would give birth to the first legendary beast – Arceus himself.’

‘Where did he come from?’

‘No one knows. But he was very powerful, shaping everything there is. From time, to space, to knowledge, emotion and willpower, he created our world, the forests, the rivers, and of course the beasts, with a simple thought. Till this day, none has seen the great creator, and most think he has gone into a great slumber, recovering his energy.’

Dawn gasped, her jaw slackening in awe. ‘I’d love to meet him someday!’

‘Not if you don’t get to bed first,’ Cynthia teased, poking her in the chest. ‘Come on, let’s -- ‘

Suddenly, without warning, the sound of hoof beats and screams rang outside. Dawn couldn’t help but notice the air felt acrid and pungent, like the smell of burning wood.

The smile on Cynthia’s face was gone, replaced with a serious frown. ‘Stay here,’ she said, going out to investigate.

Dawn peeked outside the door. What she saw paralyzed her with fear. Her village was burning down, everywhere shimmering with the red glow of flames. People were running away in panic – but from what? Some of them used their Water type beasts’ attacks to stop the fire from spreading, but even she could tell it was a futile effort.

The hoof beats got closer and closer, and she finally identified what was causing all the destruction. A squadron of armed men, riding on horses of flame, lighting up anything that stood in their way.

Mongols.

A fearsome group whose mission was to conquer the entire region, spreading chaos and fear wherever they went – at least, that’s what she heard from Cynthia anyway. After news spread from the next village over to the west, hers had been preparing for an attack for days now, building a palisade around the perimeter – but they were overcome by sheer force of numbers. Seeing the carnage unfold in front of her, she couldn’t help but feel nauseated and faint.

She saw the soldiers assemble outside the courtyard. They were dressed in light, lamellar armor and had bows and quivers over their shoulders. A man, presumably their leader, was the only one who looked… different. It was the only word to describe him. In a grey suit with a huge letter on it, as well as his blue hair, he seemed out of place among the men. Cynthia once joked that Dawn’s blue hair made her stand out like a sore thumb, and she understood what she meant.

And that horrible scar…

There was serious scarring all the way up the right side of the man’s face, which appeared to have been caused by a giant claw of sorts. It made his face look crooked and scary.

‘The map should be near. I want this place searched thoroughly. Now go.’ The others saluted and split up in several directions. _Map? What map?_ Dawn thought.

Suddenly, Cynthia rushed back into the hut. ‘Sister, wh-wh-what are we going to do?’ Dawn asked, stuttering in fright.

Cynthia didn’t answer, instead uncovering the wooden floorboards furiously to reveal a hollow dugout underneath. Inside was a box containing an ancient-looking scroll, which she promptly took out and gave to Dawn.

‘Listen to me very carefully,’ Cynthia said slowly but firmly, looking straight into Dawn’s eyes. In her 12 years of life, Dawn had never seen her sister so serious before. She nodded.

‘Good.’ Cynthia thrust the scroll into Dawn’s hands. ‘This is something Mother and Father gave to me before they disappeared. No matter what you do, keep it safe.’

‘But what is it?’ She asked in confusion. ‘No time to explain,’ Cynthia replied. ‘You should be small enough to hide in that hole there. Don’t get out until they’ve gone. I need you to stay strong for me, we don’t have much time! Do you understand?’

Dawn had no clue what was happening. Her world had been turned upside down in a matter of minutes. But this was her sister, for crying out loud. She would do anything for her. ‘Yes, I do.’

Cynthia smiled, getting her monster ball from her black kimono. ‘Stay safe, Dawn,’ she said softly. ‘You’re on your own now. Gabite, go! Sandstorm!’

A blue-purple dragon, with sharp claws on its fins and legs, emerged from the wooden contraption, and the two ran outside to take on the horde.

Meanwhile, Dawn quickly crawled into the hole, barely fitting in, and closed off the floorboards, wisely leaving a tiny hole for her to breathe. Even though the sound of shouts and explosions filled the air, and her heart was racing like an arrow, she couldn’t help but grow tired as fatigue took over…

And everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

Dawn awoke several hours later in a daze.

She tried to stretch her arms, only to realize she was in a hole, and her head smacked against the floorboard. The events of the past night eventually struck her like a battering ram.

_The fire, the soldiers, Cynthia leaving…_

‘Cynthia!’

Dawn hurriedly moved the board away and scrambled out of the hidden spot, ignoring the pain in her cramped arms. _Maybe it was just a bad dream, maybe it never happened… please just be a bad dream!_

With a jolt, she realized she’d have to venture outside if she wanted to have any chance of finding Cynthia.

That was a big no-no.

For months after their parents’ disappearance, she shut herself in her room, refusing to come out and face the harsh reality, relying on Cynthia and occasionally their kind neighbors to bring her food and water. After all, she was just 9 years old at the time. It took herculean efforts from her sister just to coax her out of the place, and even then she adamantly refused to go outside most of the time. She couldn’t bear being the subject of people’s pitiful glances, and having to deal with others saying ‘I’m sorry,’ or ‘You can always call on me for help,’ as though they understood the pain of losing not one, but two of the most important people in her life. Dawn steeled herself in preparation and opened the door.

Residences in the village were pit-dwelling houses, with columns inserted into the ground and surrounded by grass. There were about fifteen to twenty of those, covered with large sheets of bark, pitched roofs thatched with branches. A large circular fire pit was in communal ground in the middle of the village, and pots of vegetables and meat would be seen burning in the trough.

However, after the attack, most houses were charred beyond recognition, with several unlucky ones completely burnt down. Some stray fires had yet to be extinguished, but their Water-types were wiped out, so they resorted to getting buckets of water from the well. Meanwhile, a group of villagers worked together to bury the corpses that accumulated from last night’s battle. Some were Mongols, but the vast majority were of the local defenders, and their families huddled together and cried. If Cynthia was among those bodies…

No! She couldn’t think that. She rushed over to one of the villagers and asked shyly, ‘I’m sorry, b-but is my sister Cynthia h-here? She went to fight the bad people last night, and n-now I can’t find her!’

He replied gruffly, ‘You’re not the only one dealing with bodies tonight, girl. If you don’t see your sister here, then she won’t be anywhere else. Now scram!’

Dawn checked the pile of bodies. The pale, cold corpses, each with their own horrific stab or burn wounds absolutely repulsed her, but she examined the pile and found no one resembling Cynthia, which was a huge relief.

But where was she?

If Cynthia was safety in the village, then she would have gone home as soon as she could. That meant she was outside in the wild.

Going into the village, surrounded by so many people, felt like torture to Dawn. But in the wild, where beasts roamed free and everything was unfamiliar? That was something else entirely. But she had to try somehow.

Making up her mind, she reached the only path that led outside town. Seeing the rows and rows of trees, as well as the blades of grass swaying in the wind, it had a certain mystery to it that made her hesitate. It was only the thought of her missing sister that fueled her resolve, and she took a few cautious steps into the long grass.

As she walked, although it was right at noon, she could feel shadows closing in on her, as though the trees had a life of their own. The air was filled with the clutters of birds, the chirps of bugs, and she was startled with every sound. The forest, once open and welcoming, now seemed dark and foreboding. With every step she took, she became more and more uncertain. _Am I walking in circles?_ Every patch of grass she passed through looked the same as the last. Was she lost in the woods, with no one to help her?

All of a sudden, she noticed a rustling in the long grass right next to her. A fearsome red spider with gleaming purple eyes and white mandibles popped out as though conjured by magic. Through her parents’ old books, the small part of Dawn that wasn’t panicking recognized it as an Ariados – venomous, elusive and incredibly dangerous. She was frozen in place, unable to move as it crawled towards her, its feet making a sinister scuttling noise.

All she could do was watch as the Ariados pounced…

And got knocked out by a fireball!

Dawn spun towards her unlikely savior, which turned out to be a Chimchar, a fire type monkey. It ran up to her, standing protectively. A young woman appeared behind it, who was probably around 30 years old. She had frizzy red hair arranged in a ponytail, electric blue eyes and she was dressed in a green travelling outfit, similar to those soldiers would wear. What caught her eye however, was the woman’s wooden leg. Dawn looked away, realizing it was probably impolite to stare. The woman sprinted over to her, panting heavily.

‘What are you doing out here?’ she asked in a disapproving tone. ‘You shouldn’t be wandering around here without a Pokemon, you know! Honestly, it’s a miracle you made it this far! You’re lucky Chimchar noticed you.’ The chimp responded to the sound of its name, leaping back to her side.

Dawn tried to stand up, but her right knee was wounded. The woman inspected it, and pulled Dawn upright. ‘I have some medicine at home. Follow me!’ Without waiting for a response, she easily lifted Dawn in a sweeping motion, and went back the way she came.

Eventually, they arrived at her home, in a clearing near the village. It was surrounded by a ring of trees, and a casual onlooker wouldn’t have seen it if they didn’t know what they were looking for. Unlike the typical wooden houses, it was built of brick and mortar, and smoke billowed up the chimney, obviously being built to last. Next to it, a fenced ranch of sorts had several Geodude, Machop (which probably helped build the house) and a Turtwig grazing on the green grass.

The lady explained, ‘Those are some of my Pokemon! Caught them during my travels.’

Dawn asked, ‘Pokemon?’ ‘Beast is such a crude word to describe such beautiful life-forms, don’t you think? Pokemon has got a good ring to it.’

With that, they entered the home. Bookshelves filled with old parchments and scrolls surrounded the interior of the house, with a table and some chairs in the middle. From the papers spread over said table, Dawn couldn’t help but get the impression she was a messy person, similar to her sister. At the far back, a large fireplace burnt warmly, a pot of water hanging above it, and a backdoor led to the ranch outside.

She placed Dawn delicately on the straw bed and took some herbs, a mortar and pestle off a shelf. ‘What’s your name, kid? Mine’s Fennel. Professor Fennel.’

‘D-Dawn.’ She replied. ‘Thank you for helping me.’

‘No worries. So what were you doing there? You looked really lost.’ Dawn explained what happened to the Professor, who nodded sympathetically. She smeared the herbal paste onto Dawn’s knee as the girl spoke.

‘I see. They attacked this place yesterday, too, you know. Luckily my Pokemon were here to send em packing. And you say your sister hasn’t appeared after a whole night?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘I wouldn’t get your hopes up. She’s probably hurt or worse if that’s the case…’ As soon as the words left Fennel’s mouth, she regretted it.

‘Erm, what I meant was, maybe she’s hiding out from them! Maybe she had to take a long route around…’ She paused, seeing Dawn shake her head sadly. ‘What’s wrong?’

Dawn suddenly thought of Cynthia’s words. ‘The bad people mentioned a map. My sister told me to keep this scroll at all costs. I think the two are related to each other, and she’s been taken.’ She gestured to the scroll in her hands. Fennel marveled at the girl. Despite her seemingly childish mentality, Dawn was remarkably intelligent for her age. With a little prodding, maybe…

She looked at the scroll with meticulous curiosity. Fennel nodded sagely and said, ‘This is definitely a map of Sinnoh. You can see Mount Coronet at the center. I wonder…’ She took the map gingerly and put it over a lamp.

Dawn leaned in fearfully, thinking she was going to burn it. ‘Be careful!’ Fennel smiled, amused at Dawn’s reaction. ‘Don’t you worry, give it just a moment and… Voila!’ As though by magic, hidden writing appeared on the back. It didn’t appear to be in Sinnonian, and Dawn couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

‘Ahh, this is interesting!’ The professor exclaimed. ‘It’s written in Unown – this map is probably a few centuries old at the very least!’ ‘Can you read it?’ Dawn asked hopefully. Fennel cleared her throat and said in an ominous tone, as though casting a spell, ‘The Saviour of Sinnoh, the great Creator’s gift. Assemble the Jewel of Life, or see the world in endless strife.’

Fennel added, ‘The Jewel of Life is rumored to be created by Arceus Himself. According to history, our ancestors used it to turn Sinnoh into the fertile land it is today. Not as fertile as it used to though…’

Seeing Dawn deep in thought, Fennel looked at Dawn carefully. ‘If the Mongols are after it as well, then it stands to reason you’ll get a clue to your sister’s whereabouts at some point. Besides, don’t you think it would be cool to meet Arceus?’

Dawn’s cowardly side and her protective sides wrestled together. On one hand, she was morbidly afraid of stepping out her door, let alone faraway realms; on the other, she thought of Cynthia being captured, hurt, filled with fear and horror, and her mind was made.

Dawn had to be brave for her.

There wasn’t a choice at all, really.

‘I’ll do it.’ She said softly. ‘I’ll search for the Jewel of Life.’ Fennel squealed excitedly in response.

‘I’m sorry,’ The eccentric professor said. ‘It’s just… I see myself in you really. If you go on this journey, then I’ll feel like I’m going myself. Haven’t done much of that since…’ She looked wistfully at her wooden limb. ‘You look around the age where most boys leave home for their adventures. I mean, what can’t girls do that boys can? I’ll give you all the support I can.’

‘Well, t-thank you for the medicine,’ Dawn said, stretching her leg experimentally. ‘I’ll be going home to get some food and water, then I’m going.’

Her words snapped Fennel back to reality. ‘Whoa, whoa! Are you seriously just going out without anything else? At least bring something else!’ She skillfully collected certain items around the house, such as flint and steel, a knife, salted meat, and packed them all into a duffel bag. Yes, she was definitely a seasoned traveler.

She took out five wooden spheres Dawn recognized as Beast balls, and pulled a large book from a shelf. Pokemon balls? Pokeballs? They had locks at the opening and on the top were holes for releasing steam. She was always fascinated about how they could encapsulate any Pokemon, big or small.

‘I’m sure you know how Pokeballs work,’ Fennel said. ‘Just in case you need to capture any Pokemon. This book is what I call a Pokedex. It contains all the information on every Pokemon I met during my travels. And for the grand finale…’

She grabbed three of her own Pokeballs, and said, ‘Rowlet, Cyndaquil, Oshawott, come on out!’

Three Pokemon emerged from the balls. The first was an owl-like bird with brown quilled feathers and two green leaf-shaped quills below its beak. It looked at Dawn with large, intelligent eyes. The second was a spikeless blue porcupine with orange dots at the back. Its tail flame raged, as though showing off its power. The third was a blue and white sea otter with a sharp shell at its chest.

‘Can’t leave home without your own Pokemon! These are three of the Pokemon I’ve caught in other regions. Feel free to pick one, I’ll feel better if one of them is with you.’

Dawn looked at them in awe. For the first time, she was about to own a Pokemon of her own! ‘Thank you!’ she bowed. ‘I-I don’t know what to say…’

She examined them carefully, trying to figure out which one was the best. However, they looked the same to her, and were just as powerful. Then again, a flyer would really come in handy if she needed to send messages or get out of tough spots…

‘I choose you!’ She said with a huge smile, pointing straight at Rowlet. The bird flew to her shoulder happily, while the two hung their heads down in disappointment. Dawn looked to the others apologetically.

Fennel returned Oshawott and Cyndaquil to their Pokeballs, and handed her Rowlet’s. ‘From now on you two are a team then! People treat their Pokemon like servants, but I believe both are equal – treat your Pokemon with love, and you can overcome anything.’ ‘I will!’ Dawn replied, putting the map back in its box.

Fennel nodded. ‘One more thing. I’m honoured that you trusted me with this secret and I am grateful. But other people may not be so helpful. Mongols have agents all over Sinnoh. From here on, trust no one. Do you understand?’

Dawn considered her words and nodded, looking into Fennel’s eyes. ‘I do,’ she said.

Dressed in her Kaori, with her cap and her duffel bag, she looked like a traveler ready for a challenge _. Just like her younger self…_ Fennel grinned. ‘Good luck, challenger.’

Minutes later, Anna was facing the entrance to the forest yet again. ‘Here I come, Cynthia,’ she whispered. She charged into the forest, her trusty Rowlet flapping its wings alongside her.


End file.
